Page 33 of A Housekeeper for the Earl of Drinkwater
Serena bit her lip. No one had spoken to her about what had led to the current condition of the estate. When she’d first met the earl, she’d seen a haunting sadness in his eyes. Even when he smiled, the cloud hanging over him never truly dissipated. And she’d also noticed he walked with a pronounced limp, which was something else no one ever discussed with her.
She did not wish to pry, but she was exceedingly curious. The beautiful but long ignored mansion was an enigma by itself. The earl, who was just as attractive, but clearly just as worn, was a different kind of puzzle. An intriguing puzzle. And she wished she could learn more of both their secrets.
“I am happy to be of service,” Serena said at last, smiling humbly. “And I really do enjoy working here. But won’t you miss it when you leave?”
Mrs. Chantry sighed, smiling at Serena.
“I will miss this manor, and the earl, dearly,” she said. “But I am more than ready to enjoy my retirement.”
Serena laughed and nodded.
“I suppose I will feel much the same way, when it is time for me to retire,” she said.
Mrs. Chantry studied her for a moment before grinning impishly.
“I think you and I are destined for different life paths,” she said.
Serena frowned at her, puzzled. But instead of answering her silent question, Mrs. Chantry shooed her gently from the bed.
“Run along now, dear,” she said, taking a slow breath to combat a coughing spell. “The library needs attention today if you have the time. Lord Drinkwater will be making more use of it soon.”
Serena wanted to ask the elderly housekeeper about her enigmatic statement. But, just as with all the other questions she had stored up inside, she pushed it to the back corner of her mind and smiled.
“I shall come and see you tomorrow morning,” she said.
Mrs. Chantry smiled and waved.
“I will be looking for you, dear,” she said.
Serena left the housekeeper’s apartments and went back to the main part of the house. She gathered up her supplies and then went straight to the library, as Mrs. Chantry had instructed.
She opened the curtains, but not before using her apron to shield her face from the dust she had learned would fly into her face whenever she moved things. The windows were dirty, but she would save cleaning those for later in the day. With light illuminating the entire room for the time being, she decided it was best to start with the tasks that would become more difficult as the sun began to sink in the sky.
Crossing the room, she started with the items on the tables and walls of the opposite side of the room. She first dusted painting frames, trinkets, and furniture, followed by lovingly polishing the freshly cleaned surfaces.
As she went, she collected the yellowed crystal vases, vowing to clean those she could salvage and replace those she could not out of her own money. In her heart, she felt she owed the poor, beautiful mansion at least that much.
She had just moved on to the first of the bookshelves, the one directly across from the door to the library, and climbed up on her little stool, when she heard a sound at the door. She turned, nearly falling off the stool when she saw who had entered.
“Forgive me if I startled you,” Lord Drinkwater said, wincing. “I had hoped to slip in and retrieve a book without disturbing you at all. I apologise for failing in that mission.”
Serena flushed, slowly stepping down from the stool.Please, do not let me fall now,she prayed, though she knew not to whom.I would die if I fell in front of him.
She did not fall, and she nearly cried out with relief. Instead, she smiled, clasping her hands in front of her and glancing shyly at the earl.
“Which book, my lord?” she asked. “Perhaps, I could help you find it.”
There was a long moment of silence as the pair stared at each other, during which Serena’s heart beat wildly.
“I cannot tell you the title from memory,” he said sheepishly. “All I know is its cover. I will know it when I see it, I am sure.”
Serena turned her face away so he would not see her blushing. If she did not know better, she would have thought he was making up the story about coming in search of a book.
“I would be happy to help you search if you can describe the cover to me,” she said.
The earl shook his head slowly, still staring at her with his intense gaze.
“I do not wish to disrupt your work any further,” he said. “And I will do my best to stay out of your way.”
